Written Answers Friday 31 March 2006

Scottish Executive

Archives

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of the contents of file SEP 10/556, held by the National Archives of Scotland and opened on 8 September 2005 to public view, and whether it was aware of its contents prior to 8 September 2005.

Nicol Stephen: We are aware of the contents file SEP 10/556, held by the National Archives of Scotland. Prior to 8 September 2005 we were not aware specifically. The file is 30 years old and one of the approximately 3,000 to 4,000 files released every year by the National Archives of Scotland.

Archives

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the contents of file SEP 10/556, held by the National Archives of Scotland and opened on 8 September 2005 to public view.

Nicol Stephen: The file contains papers detailing discussions between Government officials on Scottish devolution and North Sea oil. The file is 30 years old and is of historical interest.

Archives

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what internal discussions it has had about the contents of file SEP 10/556, held by the National Archives of Scotland and opened on 8 September 2005 for public view.

Nicol Stephen: The contents of file SEP 10/556 were reviewed by officials but there were no further substantive discussions.

Digital Technology

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider additional financial support to enable the upgrading of the Digital Access Carrier System to provide exclusive telephone lines for broadband access where the cost is greater than BT’s current £1,000 maximum per customer.

Nicol Stephen: It is not appropriate for the Executive to subsidise the upgrading of Digital Access Carrier System (DACS) lines, as the process for their removal is within the scope of reserved regulation and overseen by the UK telecoms regulator, OFCOM.

Employment

Colin Fox (Lothians) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on the (a) jobs and (b) employment sectors which the 3,000 former employees of Motorola entered following the closure of the electronics manufacturing plant in Bathgate.

Nicol Stephen: The latest information that the Scottish Executive has on the employment outcomes for those made redundant by the Motorola closure at Bathgate was produced by the Motorola Task Force (MTF) and was valid as of 31 October 2002. Details for the 2,584 redundant employees that the MTF was in contact with at that date are provided in the following table.

  

 Employed – full-time, permanent
 1,143


 Employed – full-time, temporary
 348


 Employed – part-time, permanent
 76


 Employed – part-time, temporary
 58


 Employed – unspecified
 481


 Self-employed
 55


 Subtotal -employed
 2,161


 Education
 145


 Sick
 71


 Taking a break
 69


 Retired
 18


 Seeking work
 120


 Total known status
 2,584



  A breakdown of employment by sector for the 1,972 former employees who provided this information to the MTF is given below.

  

 Automotive
 24


 Bank and financial
 250


 Business support services
 81


 Charities
 3


 Construction
 46


 Drinks
 36


 Education
 11


 Engineering metal
 110


 Food manufacturing and processing
 130


 Health care
 76


 Hotel and leisure
 26


 Household goods
 13


 Inland revenue/customs
 4


 Local/central government
 44


 Media and publishing
 23


 NHS/associated health delivery services
 24


 Not answered
 173


 Oil and gas
 13


 Paper and packaging
 7


 Personal services
 30


 Plastics and chemicals
 118


 Police and security services
 29


 Property and land management
 11


 Retailing
 206


 Telecommunications
 233


 Trade/industry associations
 2


 Transport and distribution
 174


 Utilities
 75


 Total response
 1,972

Energy Efficiency

Frances Curran (West of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what examples of international best practice in energy efficiency it has (a) identified and (b) implemented to protect and enhance Scotland’s environment, in line with paragraph 13b of International Strategy .

Nicol Stephen: The Executive is currently developing the first Scottish energy efficiency strategy which will cover all initiatives and strategies funded by the Executive which have a significant impact on energy efficiency. This includes measures in relation to business, the public sector, transport, and the domestic sector. As part of the research phase the Executive has looked at best practice in a number of countries including Denmark, the Republic of Ireland, Sweden, New Zealand, Canada, Germany and the USA.

Enterprise

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the costs will be of Highlands and Islands Enterprise rebranding its local enterprise companies in the style of HIE Moray.

Nicol Stephen: The rebranding by Highlands and Islands Enterprise of its local enterprise companies is an operational matter for them.

Fisheries

Campbell Martin (West of Scotland) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive on how many occasions it has met (a) the Clyde Fishermen’s Association, (b) the Clyde and South West Static Gear Association, (c) the Galloway Static Gear Fishermen’s Association, (d) the Arran Sea Angling Association and (e) community groups representing marine environment matters; when the meetings took place, and what the (i) location, (ii) purpose and (iii) outcome was of each meeting.

Ross Finnie: Since 2004 my officials and I have attended numerous meetings involving the Clyde Fishermen’s Association and community groups representing marine environment matters. Information on the location, purpose and outcome of each meeting could only be provided at disproportionate cost. I have not held meetings with the other groups listed.

Further Education

Marilyn Livingstone (Kirkcaldy) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to roll out the Disabled Student Allowance to further education students.

Nicol Stephen: We have no plans to roll out the Disabled Students’ Allowance to non-advanced further education students at the moment. Students at further education colleges studying on advanced courses are already eligible for the Disabled Students’ Allowance.

  Further education students with disabilities can apply for additional support towards personal study and travel related expenses arising from their disabilities through the Additional Support Needs for Learning Allowance, which forms part of the non-advanced bursary. This allowance is not means tested, nor are there pre-set limits on the means or levels of funding by which these needs may be met. The allowance is paid on a discretionary basis by colleges to eligible students.

  In addition to the individual support provided to further education students through the Disabled Students’ Allowance and the Additional Support Needs for Learning Allowance, the Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council (SFC) provides core support to colleges in respect of their students with additional support needs.

  SFC published a consultation on 24 February 2006 on proposals for developing and implementing a needs-led approach for identifying additional support needs of college students. The consultation is on the council’s website at http://www.sfc.ac.uk/library/sfc/consultation/2006.

  The proposals set out in the consultation aim to improve the future approach to determining which students should attract a premium in the core college funding. The individual needs-assessment which is the foundation of this approach will also assist colleges in the identification of student support needs which may be met from student support sources. We will continue to work closely with the SFC as work in this area progresses.

  Currently, the SFC provides funding to colleges according to the student activity they deliver. If the student has additional support needs then this activity is weighted to recognise that this could mean additional costs for the college. This additional weighting is referred to as Extended Learning Support (ELS) and is applied to both advanced and non-advanced provision.

  Similarly, if a college provides a course specifically for a group of students with similar additional support needs then this too is weighted in recognition of the higher level of costs required to run such a course. This additional weighting is referred to as dominant programme group 18 (DPG18).

Further and Higher Education

Euan Robson (Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to amend the list of fundable bodies referred to in schedule 2 of the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 2005.

Nicol Stephen: As a result of college mergers I hope to be in a position in due course to approve the laying of an Order before the Parliament which will remove the following six fundable bodies from schedule 2 to the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 2005: Glasgow College of Building and Printing; Glasgow College of Food Technology; Fife College of Further and Higher Education; Glenrothes College; Clackmannan College of Further Education, and Falkirk College of Further and Higher Education.

  Oatridge Agricultural College has signalled its wish to have its name changed to Oatridge College to better reflect its range of provision. The Order should provide the necessary vehicle to facilitate this change.

  Discussions have started between the Scottish Executive, the Scottish Agricultural College and the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) over a possible transfer of funding from the Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department to the SFC. If Scottish ministers decide that such a transfer should take place then an amendment to schedule 2 would be made by a further Order.

Further and Higher Education

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many Scottish citizens currently study full-time in (a) higher education institutions and (b) further education colleges; how many in each category receive student grants, and what the average level is of these grants.

Nicol Stephen: Student support administered by the Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) is available to Scottish students studying at higher education (HE) level in higher education institutions or colleges. The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) administers bursaries to Scottish students studying at further education (FE) level.

  (a) Higher Education Institutions

  In the academic year 2004-05 there were 113,150 Scottish-domiciled HE students studying full time in a UK higher education institution.

  Within this group 42,160 students received a non-repayable financial award from SAAS. The average award paid out to these students was £1,358.

  (b) Colleges

  In 2004-05 a total of 24,735 students were studying in Scottish colleges at HE level. Within this group 15,525 students received a non repayable award from SAAS. The average level of award paid out to these students was £1,455.

  The latest information available for FE bursaries relates to 2003-04 when a total of 47,030 students were studying full time at FE level, with 34,310 of these receiving a bursary. The average bursary paid out was £1,370 which includes bursaries paid to 2,020 part-time students.

Higher Education

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many third-year students are on biomedical degree courses, broken down by university.

Nicol Stephen: In academic year 2004-05 there were 460 third-year students on biomedical degree courses. The following table provides a breakdown by university.

  Third-Year Students on Biomedical Degree Courses, by Institution, 2004-05

  


 Total Students


 Total
 460


 The University of Glasgow
 160


 The University of Dundee
 95


 The University of Aberdeen
 50


 Napier University
 45


 University of Abertay Dundee
 40


 The University of Strathclyde
 35


 The University of Edinburgh
 20


 Heriot-Watt University
 10



  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA)

  Note: In this table 0, 1 and 2 are rounded to 0. All other .numbers are rounded up or down to the nearest 5. Numbers may not sum to totals exactly due to rounding.

Income

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average wage of the working population is in (a) Easter Ross, (b) east Sutherland, (c) east Caithness and (d) Inverness.

Nicol Stephen: The preferred source for earnings estimates is the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), which is carried out by the Office for National Statistics. The latest earnings ASHE estimates available are for April 2005.

  Estimates are not available for the specific geographies requested. However, median gross weekly pay estimates are available for the parliamentary constituency areas of Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross and Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey.

  Table 1 and table 2 show the estimated median gross weekly pay for full-time, part-time and all employee jobs. Table 1 provides estimates for those who work within the parliamentary constituency areas and table 2 provides estimates for those who are resident within the parliamentary constituency areas.

  Table 1: Median1 Gross Weekly Pay (£) - For All Employee Jobs2: April 2005

  

 Parliamentary Constituency Work Area
 Full-Time
 Part-Time
 All


 Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross
 359.5(RP)
 155.0 (A)
 286.1 (A)


 Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey
 375.8 (RP)
 123.9 (A)
 301.8 (RP)



  Table 2: Median1 Gross Weekly Pay (£) - For All Employee Jobs2: April 2005

  

 Parliamentary Constituency Home Area
 Full-time
 Part-time
 All


 Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross
 360.1 (RP)
 158.6 (A)
 283.0 (A)


 Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey
 376.3 (RP)
 115.0 (A)
 304.6 (RP)



  Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Office for National Statistics.

  Notes:

  1. The median is the value below which 50 per cent of employee jobs fall. It is preferred over an arithmetic average for earnings data as it is influenced less by large or extreme values.

  2. Employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey pay-period was not affected by absence.

  3. Pay estimates are rounded to the nearest ten pence.

  4. The quality of each estimate is indicated by the letter following the estimate (P) is a precise estimate, (RP) is relatively precise and (A) is acceptable.

Industry

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the rate of growth of manufacturing productivity has been in each year since 1999.

Nicol Stephen: Manufacturing productivity is measured by calculating the output generated per worker in the industry. The rate of growth of manufacturing productivity is given in the following table. This is derived from data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Annual Business Inquiry. The latest figures are for 2003.

  Productivity Growth in Real Terms (2002 Prices)

  

 
 1999*
 2000
 2001
 2002
 2003


 Productivity growth
 -8.5%
 2.2%
 1.0%
 8.2%
 2.6%



  Source: ONS Annual Business Inquiry

  Note: *This figure should be viewed with caution as it is based on data collected in the first year of the Annual Business Inquiry. This data appears less reliable than that reported in subsequent years of the survey.

Industry

Derek Brownlee (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-22553 by Nicol Stephen on 3 February 2006, whether it uses any forecasts of employment in the textile sector and, if so, what these are.

Nicol Stephen: There is no centrally held information on how specific employment forecasts have been used within the Executive. However, Futureskills Scotland reports are publicly available and data taken from these reports may occasionally be used in reports and analysis within the Executive. These reports may also be used for policy formulation and development.

Industry

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how economic growth is measured for any particular industry sector in Scotland.

Nicol Stephen: The principal measure of economic growth is the Gross Value Added (Gross Domestic Product at basic prices) series for Scotland published on a quarterly basis by the Scottish Executive. This publication provides measures of activity in real terms for the Scottish economy as a whole, presented as indices, in addition to a more detailed breakdown of the economic performance of industrial sectors within the Scottish economy. Economic growth is determined by calculating the rates of change of the activity indices.

  The data sources used in the compilation of the GDP series are varied. In the majority of cases, data collected by the Office for National Statistics relating to the activities of a sample of businesses located in Scotland are used. These data provide up to date measures of turnover which are deflated (to remove the effect of price changes) and, in some cases, seasonally adjusted to yield the true underlying growth rates.

  For some industrial sectors, notably agriculture, electricity generation, banking and public administration, the estimates are based on information received directly from companies, industry bodies or other Government Departments.

  Further information on the compilation of the quarterly GDP statistics is available on the Scottish Executive website http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/18879/GDPCalc.

Land

John Farquhar Munro (Ross, Skye and Inverness West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what stage the ministerial consideration of the application to buy the Orbost Estate has reached and when it anticipates that a decision will be announced.

Nicol Stephen: There has been no application to Scottish ministers by any community body wishing to register an interest in purchasing the Orbost Estate under the provisions of Part 2 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 .

  The Orbost Estate is owned by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) who have indicated that they are willing to sell the property to the local community, if they wish to buy it, without recourse to the Land Reform legislation. However, the terms of the sale proposed by HIE require ministerial agreement. I expect to discuss this with HIE shortly.

Public Private Partnerships

Mr John Swinney (North Tayside) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive on which dates since June 2003 ministers met to discuss the provision of grant funding to install a wood fuel heating system in PPP school projects and which ministers were present on each occasion.

Nicol Stephen: There have been two meetings between ministers on this subject. The first was on 10 February 2005 and involved Allan Wilson and Peter Peacock. The second was on 21 June 2005, involving Jim Wallace, Peter Peacock and Euan Robson. In addition, individual ministers have held meetings with both officials and outside organisations.

Registers of Scotland

Scott Barrie (Dunfermline West) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what targets it expects Registers of Scotland to achieve in 2006-07.

Johann Lamont: Scottish ministers have set Registers of Scotland the following key targets for 2006-07:

  Financial

  1. To achieve a return of 15% on net capital employed over the three-year period ending 31 March 2007.

  2. Limit the increase in the standard production cost index to 1% for the three years ending 31 March 2007 compared with the three-year performance to 31 March 2006.

  Speed of Registration

  3. To achieve recording and registration turnaround times in 2006-07:

  averaging over the year as a whole no more than 20 working days for Sasine writs;

  averaging over the year as a whole no more than 30 working days for Dealings with Whole, and

  averaging over the year as a whole no more than 100 working days for domestic First Registrations.

  4. to eliminate all pre-July 2002 casework except where, for exceptional reasons, agreement has been reached with the agent or where court proceedings are pending.

  Registration Accuracy

  5. to achieve a registration accuracy rate of at least 98% for applications despatched during the previous 12 months.

  Customer Service

  6. to continue to operate at Charter Mark standards by:

  achieving a 98% rating for overall customer care in the annual customer satisfaction survey of solicitors, and

  processing 98% of all customer enquiries in compliance with the agency’s published response standards.

Regulation

Derek Brownlee (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish the Improving Regulation Unit’s annual report for 2004-05.

Nicol Stephen: The Improving Regulation Unit’s report for the period to December 2005 will be published in spring 2006.

Regulation

Derek Brownlee (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many representations the Improving Regulation Unit received from non-governmental bodies or individuals in 2005.

Nicol Stephen: The majority of concerns from business are raised and addressed through the work of the Regulatory Sub Group of the Small Business Consultative Group.

  The Improving Regulation in Scotland Unit (IRIS) itself received few direct representations, either via correspondence or through the IRIS hotline, from non-governmental bodies or the public in 2005.

  The unit concentrates its efforts on improving regulations by encouraging greater use of the Regulatory Impact assessment process by policy makers.

Regulation

Derek Brownlee (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive by how much in cash terms the Improving Regulation Unit reduced the assessed regulatory impact of the regulations which it reviewed compared with the assessed cost prior to review by the unit in each year since it was established.

Nicol Stephen: The information requested is not available.

Regulation

Derek Brownlee (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how much the Improving Regulation Unit cost to run in 2005.

Nicol Stephen: The Improving Regulation in Scotland Unit currently employs the equivalent of 2.5 full time members of staff, with additional support being given where necessary. The running costs of the unit are contained within those of the Enterprise and Industry Division and cannot be disaggregated.

Renewable Energy

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how it has measured the success of the Scottish Community and Householder Renewables Initiative.

Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Executive commissioned an independent review of the Scottish Community and Householder Renewables Initiative last year to evaluate its performance from its inception in 2002 to May 2005. The review was completed in November 2005. We are currently considering the report’s findings.

Renewable Energy

Chris Ballance (South of Scotland) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to support the development and construction of tidal barrages to help meet its renewable energy targets.

Nicol Stephen: The Executive supports the development of a range of technologies to meet our renewable energy targets. One example of this is our investment in the European Marine Energy Centre in Orkney, to provide testing facilities for wave and tidal technologies and thereby help bring these to market.

  At present, we are not aware of any proposals to locate a tidal barrage in Scotland.

Renewable Energy

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much commercial building space is currently heated from renewable sources and what percentage of all commercial space this represents.

Nicol Stephen: The information requested is not held centrally.

Renewable Energy

Euan Robson (Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will announce or confirm the budget for the Scottish Community and Householder Renewables Initiative for (a) 2006-07 and (b) 2007-08.

Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Executive is committed to funding the Scottish Community and Householder Renewables Initiative (SCHRI) till March 2008 by when we will have invested £12.65 million. The annual budget for 2006-07 and 2007-08 is £2.2 million, although this budget is currently under review due to the success of the scheme and continuing high demand.

Scottish Enterprise

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what directions it has given to Scottish Enterprise to continue to implement the Executive’s social inclusion policies.

Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Executive’s strategic direction for the Enterprise Networks, A Smart, Successful Scotland, requires Scottish Enterprise to promote economic growth in a way that supports closing the opportunity gap.

Scottish Enterprise

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what powers Scottish Enterprise has to choose which Executive policies it will implement and what impact any such choices could have on Executive policy.

Nicol Stephen: Smart Successful Scotland sets out the Executive’s strategic direction to the Enterprise Networks. Scottish Enterprise is required to follow this in drawing up its Operating Plan and in a manner so as to achieve progress against the measures set out in Measuring Progress towards a Smart, Successful Scotland .

Student Finance

Mr Bruce McFee (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide the (a) dates and (b) locations of any meetings it has had with the Student Loans Company Ltd since 1999 in respect of (i) interest payable on loans and (ii) issues relating to students prevented from taking up employment due to disability, illness or medical conditions and whether it will publish the agendas and minutes of such meetings.

Nicol Stephen: The Executive has not met with the Student Loans Company Ltd (SLC) on these specific issues. We contacted SLC in November 2005 and also sought legal advice from the Scottish Executive solicitors on these matters. The advice was that the Government Regulations do not permit the freezing or cancelling of interest in any circumstances. However, the SLC can cancel loans altogether in three situations:

  -When the borrower reaches the age of 65;

  -Upon the death of the borrower, and

  -Where the borrower is disabled and permanently unfit to work.

  All borrowers make repayments at a fixed rate (currently set at 9%) on the marginal income above the £15,000 income repayment threshold. The interest applied to the loan is fixed at the annual rate of inflation as defined by the Retail Price Index. This ensures that, regardless of the length of time the student takes to repay their loan, they will repay no more, in real terms, than they actually borrowed.

  An official from the Executive attends the monthly SLC Board meetings and has the opportunity to discuss a wide range of issues. Further details of these meetings can be obtained by contacting the SLC on www.slc.co.uk.

Student Finance

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what HM Treasury discount rate has been applied to student loans subsidies in each of the last 10 years.

Nicol Stephen: The HM Treasury discount rate used to calculate the resource cost of student loans in the Scottish Executive accounts was six per cent prior to the 2003-04 financial year; 3.5 per cent in 2003-04 and 2004-05, and 2.2 per cent from the 2005-06 financial year onwards.

Swimming Pools

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what funding it has provided for investment in swimming pool facilities in each year since 1999.

Patricia Ferguson: Funding of £4 million has been made available under the national and regional facilities strategy to provide for a revamped Royal Commonwealth Pool. Funding for swimming pools is available from  sportscotland under the lottery supported Building for Sport programme and I have asked the chair of  sportscotland to provide you with details of all awards made to date.

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

Parliamentary Procurement

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body how many fair trade products are supplied by the Parliament’s catering services.

Nora Radcliffe: The following fair trade products are currently available at the Parliament:

  All tea and coffee served throughout the campus

  Orange juice served for hospitality

  A choice of red and white wine in the Members’ Restaurant and Bar

  Confectionery items in garden level and public restaurant (chocolate bars, cereal bars, individual cartons of soft drinks).

Parliamentary Procurement

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what plans it has to increase the number of fair trade products supplied by the Parliament’s catering services.

Nora Radcliffe: A number of fair trade products are currently supplied and the SPCB is considering extending the range of confectionary items available for sale. The SPCB is always on the look out to increase the fair trade range whenever possible but needs to take account of limitations such as the catering budget, pricing policy and consumer demand. We will undertake to actively promote Fair Trade amongst our customers.

Parliamentary Procurement

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what emphasis the Parliament’s procurement strategy places on purchasing fair trade products.

Nora Radcliffe: The Parliament’s commitment is to purchase responsibly, taking account of social, ethical, economic and environmental considerations. Our procurement procedures have been recently developed to ensure that these issues are considered at every stage of the procurement process. Whenever possible, options for social labels such as Fair Trade will be included in our specifications to encourage suppliers to offer fair trade items. Following contract award we work with our contractors to continually improve performance including responsible purchasing aspects.